As many of you are well aware, this summer we are being treated with three big comic book adaptions. First we have The Avengers, followed by The Amazing Spider-Man and then to top it off The Dark Knight Rises. In this article I will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of both The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man.
The Avengers:
After watching Ironman and The Incredible Hulk in 2008 a sense of giddy, excitement swept across me. I realised that Marvel were setting the track for an Avengers movie. Upon this revelation, I began to anticipate what it would be like to see several superheroes on screen, at the same time. This I feel is something many people have been excited for, since the idea was conceived.
Pros of The Avengers:
Solid Cast: This film features some truly great talent. I am not going to name them because the majority of you, know who they are. It will certainly be interesting to see how they all perform in their respective rolls. The one thing that does not concern me, is the acting in this film. All actor's have rather extravagant acting credentials, so this does not worry me in the slightest.
Epic Action: From what I have seen from the trailers and TV Spots, The Avengers looks set to deliver some truly memorable action sequences. Whether it be Iron Man, spiralling up into the sky, blasting his way through an army or The Hulk tearing down half a building, there is something in this movie that I am sure will please everyone. Action I believe is the film's biggest selling point and it is not afraid to flaunt it.
Joss Whedon: Joss Whedon is a great writer when it comes to character development. He is very capable of juggling multiple personalities on screen. If any of you have watched Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Firefly, character development plays a strong part in Joss Whedon's productions.
Cons of The Avengers:
Iron Man and Friends: This is only going by what I have seen from the trailer but this film seems more Iron Man orientated. What concerns me is that Robert Downey Jr, will steal the spotlight from some of the other actors. Iron Man is easily one of my favourite characters out of the bunch but I just hope the film is not drowned because of him. One could argue, that they are fronting Iron Man in the trailers because his films were met with mostly positive reviews. So it would make sense to let the general public know, that arguably one of the more popular characters, will be featured in this film.
Strong Villain: Another thing that has me slightly concerned, is, what are Loki's goals in this movie? Again this is only based off the trailer but it appears his main goal is to rule. I am not a big fan of this idea, personally because it just seems like the same old cliche, villain is looking to rule the world, superheroes stop villain and in the process, everyone goes home slightly underwhelmed. I personally want there to be more to it than that and hope this is not the case. Any film needs a strong, compelling, antagonist and if they fail to deliver depth to the villain, it makes it far less enthralling, in my opinion.
The Amazing Spider-Man:
Spider-Man is an entirely different breed to The Avengers. It is the underdog of the summer with the anticipation building for both The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises, Spider-Man could be over-shadowed by these two massive film franchises. The other problem it faces, is the fact, it is treading over similar territory as the Raimi trilogy did. It has a real uphill battle and needs to set itself apart from the previous incarnations, to be accepted. I am personally excited to see what this new film will bring us but I am aware not everyone feels that way and I can understand why to a certain extent.
Pros of The Amazing Spider-Man:
A fresh new cast: After Spider-Man 3, I and many others felt this film needed something fresh and different. In 2010 it was announced that the franchise would be rebooted and would include a brand new cast. Andrew Garfield was announced as the new Spider-Man. I personally am a fan of Andrew's work, if you have seen him in the likes of Boy A, Never Let Me Go and Red Riding, the guy is tremendously talented. He has a great emotional range and will hopefully be able to pull off, playing both Spider-Man and Peter. In essence he is playing two characters, which for any actor is a hard graft.
A more modernised approach: When people saw the first trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man they were not very happy that Peter did not appear to be the nerd, they remembered him as. I have seen comments such as, " he looks way to trendy to be Peter Parker and nerds don't look like this." My argument to these comments is, this is what a modernised nerd looks like. Nerds have evolved along with the rest of modern society and no longer sport, bad fashion sense, with a tucked in shirt and high briefs. It's a new era, with new stereotypes that accompany them.
The trademark of the character: In this film we will see Spidey's trademark sarcasm and humour. This is something many fans have missed since 2002, when the Raimi trilogy decided not to delve into this side of the character. However, not everyone is a fan, which is completely fine. Not everyone has to be a fan of his playful side and I have to admit, it was weird coming into this side of the character, after watching the Raimi films. I am intrigued to see how audiences will respond to this trait, of his personality.
Cons of The Amazing Spider-Man:
Same old origin story as before: What could really hurt this film, is the fact, they are treading over the same territory. The fact that they are retelling the origin story, has not impressed a large majority of people. Fans don't necessarily want to go through the same stuff again. I am not too bothered personally but I can definitely see how fans would not be too appreciative of this.
I hate the look of the Spider-Man costume: This is the biggest criticism, when it comes to this film. Many people have expressed, how much they dislike the new costume. It is a fairly superficial criticism but it is still a valid one. The first thing that attracts someone to a film, is the looks and feel of it. If they are turned off by these attributes, it could really damage the interest and hype. There is a certain standard, that is expected when it comes to a character's presentation and if that is not met, then it can play a part in sabotaging the film's success. This same problem also occurs with The Lizard. Many fans have not been impressed with the design and have even expressed their intention not to see the film because of it.
Marc Webb has only directed one major film prior to this: I think a big concern for myself and many others, is the fact, this is only Marc Webb's second feature film. He has never done a live action film before and this inexperience could be his undoing. It is a major risk he is taking and if it doesn't pay off he could end up, taking Joel Schumacher's place.
Conclusion: This summer seems to be shaping up to be the ultimate CBM extravaganza. There is something for everyone and we are being spoilt for choice. The Avengers, I believe, will be one of the biggest film events of the year and will make a fortune when it comes to the Box Office. Spider-Man will not make as much but that does not mean it won't be a good film and more importantly a good time. In this article, I have tried to list both film's merits and weaknesses but the truth is, I am torn between the two. I can't wait to see what spectacular set pieces, The Avengers will feature and I am curious to know what story/character development will be involved with The Amazing Spider-Man. I think the truth is, I want both films to succeed. With The Avengers release only weeks away, the summer is about to start. Let the fun begin !